O’Brien candidates go head-to-head in this week’s games

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 7, 2009) – The 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^® (The O’Brien) Marquee Match-up for week six features two O’Brien Watch List candidates^{^}. Throughout the season, The O’Brien will highlight weekly match-ups which spotlight O’Brien candidates as they vie for the prestigious award honoring the nation’s best quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Marquee Match-up: Florida at Louisiana State University
Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. (CST) on CBS
The No. 4 LSU Tiger’s have a date with the No.1 Florida Gators at home in Death Valley this Saturday. Both teams put their undefeated seasons on the line in this Southeastern Conference grudge match-up. Jordan Jefferson comes into this game after leading LSU’s gripping comeback and 20-13 win over Georgia. The Tigers (5-0) scored their only two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of the game maintaining the No. 4 rank in the AP polls this week. This season the sophomore quarterback, Jefferson, has thrown for 920 yards and seven touchdowns.

Tim Tebow, 2007 O’Brien Winner, is ranked third in the nation with a quarterback rating of 170.3 over four games and has thrown six touchdown passes this season. In Tebow’s last performance, he led the Gators to a 41-7 victory over Kentucky in week four. The Gators (4-0) and senior signal caller Tebow, head to Baton Rouge after coming of a bye week.

With a lot at stake, historically the winner of this heated SEC rivalry game has gone on to win the last three BCS championship titles.

 ^{^} At the time of this release, Tebow’s status was pending awaiting
medical release for Saturday’s match-up.

Other Notable Games (based on start times)

• Nebraska (Zac Lee) at Missouri (Blaine Gabbert)
  Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. (CST) on ESPN
• Auburn (Chris Todd) at Arkansas (Ryan Mallett)
  Saturday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN
• Alabama (Greg McElroy) at Ole Miss (Jevan Snead)
  Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m. (CST) on CBS 

About The O’Brien Fan Vote
Fans can now register and vote for any of the 120 FBS quarterbacks online at www.VoteOBrien.org. The Fan Vote counts as 5% during each round of the voting process. The Fan Vote will be combined with the results from the Selection Committee, an elite group of journalists, commentators, broadcasters and former Winners. The 2009 O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show airing Dec. 10 on ESPN and will be honored at the 33^rd Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner held at The Fort Worth Club on Feb. 15, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. 

About The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award^®
The O’Brien honors the nation’s best college quarterback of the year and inspires student-athletes to triumph both on and off the field. By recognizing and honoring athletes who excel in both sports and academics while exhibiting strong character and leadership, The O’Brien aims to help instill a lifelong moral fiber in each candidate. The O’Brien is overseen by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, which was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The Foundation has given away more than $770,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org. 

American Airlines is the official travel partner of The O’Brien. 

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